Monday, November 30, 2015

Everyone's talking about that strip club in the UP, but what do people who've actually been there think?

A charming (I think that's the right word) article in today's Detroit Free Press follows the uptick in business for the Upper Peninsula's only strip club during deer hunting season.

“We probably do 20 to 30% of our business during firearm deer season,” Lisa Storti, the owner of Big Bon’s in Rock told the Detroit Free Press' John Carlisle "We are right in deer-hunting territory. This is where people’s camps are. And hunting season is huge for us.”

And its not just patrons flocking to Big Bon's, according to Carlisle "strippers from across the country flock" to the strip club on a remote highway in the UP. The draw of course is the fact they know how lucrative the two week period (Nov. 15-30) of firearm deer season can be.

From the Freep:

“I’ve heard that it’s insanely awesome. I’m so excited,” said Ariel, whose name — like those of the other dancers here — may or may not bear a
resemblance to her real one.

She’s a 19-year-old dairy farmer who came in from her Wisconsin home just for hunting season. She’d never
danced before, she said. Yet she’d already made around $800 on a few good nights after a short time here.

“I’m hoping to buy a car,” she said with a smile.

Anyway, the piece is pretty charming — yeah I am going to stick with it— in the rustic, cozy way that any story about the UP (regardless of subject matter) is going to slant towards. That said, we were a bit curious if that was the UP effect or just the reality of Big Bon's — the charming "Cheers" of strip clubs. So we decided to check out the Facebook reviews for the joint (it's so off the grid that there is no Yelp page for the club) to find out the real scoop.

They're, well, interesting. Below is sampling of a review from each of the various star levels (1-5)* And we think they paint a pretty well-rounded picture. Not sure if we're going to continue using the word charming, hence forward, but it's definitely something.

1 Star

2 Stars

3 Stars

4 Stars

5 Stars **

*Most people just gave the place stars but didn't write anything. So granted, the written reviews come from a limited sampling.